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Update: Pignatelli cruises to big win in 4th Berkshire District

State Representative William "Smitty" Pignatelli, right, laughs with his brother Scott after getting a call saying he won the election in Lee by almost 2,000 votes at Scott's home in Lenox on Tuesday evening. (Stephanie Zollshan)

Wednesday November 7, 2012

LENOX -- William "Smitty" Pignatelli, the dean of the Berkshire legislative delegation, easily was re-elected on Tuesday night.

Pignatelli fended off a second challenge over Scott Laugenour in the race for state representative in the 4th Berkshire District. With all 20 towns reporting unofficial results, Pignatelli had 82 percent of the vote, with 16,598 votes to Laugenour's 3,611.

With his win over the Green-Rainbow Party candidate, the incumbent Democrat earned his sixth consecutive two-year term on Beacon Hill.

While Laugenour hadn't conceded defeat as of late Wednesday night, Pignatelli spent the evening confident of his win. In the 2010 election, Pignatelli amassed 83 percent of the vote and was on the verge of a repeat performance Tuesday night.

Laugenour couldn't be reached for comment regarding the race's outcome.

The 4th Berkshire District race was the only state-level legislative contest in the county.

For this election, the 4th Berkshire District was expanded to 20 towns as a result of redistricting, including three in Hampden County. The revamped district will represent about 40,000 people after the first of the year.

Pignatelli, 53, plans to make transportation a high priority in 2013, provided he's part of the new legislative session come January.

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"We have set the table to talk investment in our infrastructure," he said. "Every legislative district in the state is facing road and bridge deficiencies."

During the campaign, Lau genour put focus on "the amount of debt that our health care and education systems put people in," which he called "shocking." He claimed the debt is a hindrance to local economic development that keeps "local people from being enterprising."

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